Santorum: Pope Trying To ‘Create A Touchstone’ While Speaking On Climate Change

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Former Pennsylvania Senator and Presidential candidate Rick Santorum commented on the Papal visit to the US and said he sees Pope Francis embracing issues like climate change to bring people back under the influence of the church.

Santorum told Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that conservatives are getting too worked up over what they see as their differences with the Pope’s message.

“I know some people say, conservatives are really upset about the Pope. I’m not. Because what the Pope is trying to do is reach out to people that have not been listening, have tuned out the Pope and people of faith and say they’re not relevant in my life. For the Pope to engage in things that are relevant in people’s lives, who have walked away from faith or faith is not an important part of their life, he’s now tried to reach in and create a touchstone. And they’re listening because he’s talking their language.”

He stated he agreed with the broader message that we all must do our part to care for the health of the planet.

“The Vatican and the Pope are not climate scientists. They’re not going to weigh in to what needs to be done. What he’s saying is, we need address the issues that threaten the environment that God has created. We can agree or disagree as to how big a threat global climate change is, and obviously I have some disagreements there. But the thrust of it is, we need to be good stewards of the environment.”

Santorum sees a plan in Pope Francis’s address, and that is to expand the number of people who will take in the message of the church.

“I think he really is doing it in order to get people’s ears so they realize that this is part of a greater whole, that the environment isn’t of itself. They’re not pantheists. This is part of God’s creation and God’s plan and that includes the dignity of life, and that includes marriage as a man and a woman, and that includes taking care of the least of us. All of these things are integrated.”